Igniter for gas or other internal-combustion engines.



G. Z. SMITH. IGNITEB FOR (ms OR OTHER INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINES.

ArPLIo'ATIoN rmm JAN. 6. 1910.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

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GEORGE Z. SMITH, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

IGNITER FOR GAS OR OTHER INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Z. SM'i'rH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Stateof Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignitersfor Gas or Other Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for igniting anexplosive mixture in the cylinders of engines having fluid fuel, and itconsists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements of partsherein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel means for cleaning thespark terminals without removing the same from the engine, or withoutstopping the engine.

A. further object of my invention is to provide a plurality of contactpoints which may be removed. separately so that one or more may be used,as desired.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which similar reference characters indicatelike parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view ofthe device, Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the device,Fig. 8 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1,Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 looking in the direction of thearrows in Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a detail section along the line of Fig. 2,and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the contact points in their shiftedpositions.

In carrying out my invention, I provide an insulating base A of anysuitable shape. This consists of a main portion a. and a reduced portion(1. the latter being designed to extend through the wall of theexplosion chamber, while the portion a may be secured to the exteriorportion of the wall of the explosion chamber, by means of bolts orscrews passed through the openings (1 Through one portion of theinsulating base A is passed the rod B, provided with a threaded end I).At the opposite end of the rod is a collar Z) having an extended portion5*, which constitutes one of the spark terminals or contacts. The end 7)of Specification of Letters Patent. Patgntgd Sept, 27, 1910,

Application filed January 6, 1910.

Serial No. 536,757.

the rod B is provided with two nuts 6' and 6*, between which is held theend of the conducting wire O. The lower nut may be provided with aspacing ring 6'' of insulating material or a metal ring, if desirable.In another portion of the insulating base A, the rod F is held. One endof this red is provided with a collar 7 similar to the collar Z) of therod B. This collar has an integral extension 7 provided with series ofslots f arranged to hold contact terminals, such as that shown at Theseterminals, are held in place by means of a plate 7 provided with slotswhich register with the slots f in the extension f, the plate be ingsecured by means of the screws 7'. It will be seen that by unlooseningthe screws, the contacts may be pushed in or pulled out of the holderthus formed. To the opposite end of the rod F is secured a small handwheel W. This wheel has an integral sleeve G projecting from one side,provided with a slotted portion g on one side thereof, (see Figs. 2 andi). Disposed on the rod F is a sliding collar K which is provided with alaterally extending cam member Zr. The latter projects through the slot9 in the sleeve G and provided with a guide member M which is secured bymeans of the screw m to the cam member 7a. The sleeve G and the wheel \Vare held away from the sliding collar K by means of a spiral spring S onthe rod F, which is secured to the wheel IV and which may be pushedinwardly against the tension of the spring and rotated to bring theseparate contacts 7 down against the common terminal 6 as shown in Fig.6.

On the opposite end of the insulating base portion a are two pins P andP. The former serves to attach the spring S whose other end is securedto an arm V in the movable collar K. The arm V is thus held normallyagainst the stop pin P.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood. Normally the cam member Kprojects into the path of a cam operating member, not shown, whichengages it periodically and turns it to bring the terminals together,after which they are caused to separate by means of the spring. it willbe seen that as the arm K is moved in the direction indicated by thearrow in Fig. 5, itpushes the sleeve G around, thereby rotating the rodF, and bringing the In the construction disclosed above.

contacts f into engagement with the common contact 6 The parts arerestored to their normal positions by means of the cumulated upon them,thereby rendering them clean and ready for instant use, without thenecessity of removing them from the engine. It will be noticed also,that by loosening the nuts Zr and b the rod I) bearing the terminal I)may be rotated so as to set the latter in any position with respect tothe separate contacts. The means for holding the contacts permits theadjustment of any one or all of the individual contacts, or thereplacement of the contacts themselves, when they become worn.

I claim:

1. In av gas engine igniter, an insulating base, a pair of parallelrods, one of said rods being stationary and being provided with a commoncontact, and the other of said rods being iiiovable and being providedwith a plurality of contacts adapted to engage said common contact, asleeve secured to the end of said movable rod, a movable collar disposedabout said movable rod and arranged to engage said sleeve for rotatingthe latter, said sleeve and said movable rod being arranged to rotate soas to bring the separate contacts into engagement with the commoncontacts, and to be reciprocated for causing frictional engagement ofthe cont-acts for cleaning purposes and a spring for restoring saidmovable rod to its normal position.

2. In a gas engine igniter, an insulating base, a common contact carriedthereby, a series of movable contacts arranged to be brought intoengagement with said stationary contact, said movable contacts beingmounted for individual adjustment, and means for eflecting asimultaneous movement of said series of contacts along the surface ofthe common contact for cleaning purposes.

GEORGE Z. SMITH.

lVitnesses G. IV. SPIEGEL,

THOMAS LEE GRAHAM.

